Would you play a GTA MMORPG?

The internet is alive with excitement concerning Rockstar chief SamHouser and his comments to US magazine, EGM, concerning a possiblemassively-multiplayer GTA. It's very 'do-able' apparently. But that'sas far as he goes.
Does this interest you? I think it goes against the whole point of the GTA experience which is inherently narcissistic in its appeal. In the Grand Theft Auto games, the player - the singleplayer - takes an escalating position of power within a universe thateffectively revolves around their actions. Every other character in thegame is a puppet of your narrative journey - it feels good, it's fun;it's Brian De Palma re-filming Scarface around you as you blast downsun-drenched boulevards idly selecting your next victims, a NietzscheanÜbermensch, devoid of pity, suffering or tolerance for the weak.
Now imagine a GTA with thousands of people all trying to live thesame dream. It would be a nightmare - the streets filled with joyridingmaniacs, smashing Dodge Chargers through shop windows, machine gunningeveryone in sight. Total anarchy. Sure, that sounds likeperfect GTA fodder, but then the beauty of the games is often thethrill of subverting an otherwise functioning urban environment -where's the fun in riding motorcycles into the ocean if everyone elseis doing it? And beyond the free-roaming sandbox layout, there's alwaysa strong story to add shape and purpose - it's a story about onecharacter. One. Do you want to be in a whole guild of Armani-clad,PCP-snorting gangsta numbskulls? Think about it. No, I mean reallythink about it.
Of course, an MMOG that takes place in a similar sort of crime universe as the GTA games could work, but it wouldn't be GTA as we know it - it would be a faintly recognisable brand extension. Plus, as CVG points out, isn't this concept already covered by Realtime Worlds' forthcoming APB?
Houser apparently calls the prospect of a subscription-basedmassively multiplayer GTA, the 'Holy Grail'. He doesn't mean that interms of gameplay experience, though, he means it in a financial sense.By 'Holy Grail', he means 'unbelievable cash cow'.
Look at WoW. Ten million players. Imagine all of 'em in LibertyCity, trying to out gang each other. Imagine farming coke for days onend to buy a shotgun. Imagine the endless, pointless gun battles.Imagine... wait don't go glassy-eyed on me, this is not a good idea!